B'nai Torah Congregation

Boaz Davidoff

Boaz Davidoff is a cantor, recording artist and concert performer, as well as a musician, composer and choir director. He holds B.A in Music Ed. and M.A in Musicology.

Before becoming a Cantor, Boaz performed in festivals and concerts around Israel, Europe and the U.S.A. as a lyric tenor soloist. He sang Renaissance, Baroque, oratorio, early opera and world music, along with his own compositions. Then, he went through a major life change – he returned to his Jewish origins and discovered the “Wonderful Light of Emunah (faith)”. Boaz registered to TACI (Tel Aviv Cantorial Institute) and started, passionately, to study under the direction of maestro and cantor Naphtali Herstik. After only two years of study – during a cantorial tour of TACI in North America – Boaz was “kidnapped” to Shaare Zion Congregation in Montreal, Canada and became a full time cantor. There, in Montreal, Boaz completed his Cantorial studies with maestro and Cantor Arye Subar.

During his six successful years as a Cantor, Boaz also produced two CD’s, broadcasted a program in the Montreal Jewish radio – “Radio Shalom”, took part in many concerts as a soloist and produced Charity concerts for Israel with the ”Share Zion band” (a band that he established). Then Boaz and his family returned to their homeland, Israel.

Boaz continues giving lectures on different music topics, conducts two choirs, produces CD’s, sings and acts in children musical theater and performs around Israel and the world as a soloist with different ensembles and with his band “Boaz Ve’Hakotzrim” (“Boaz & the Harvests”). The band music is a combination of the cantorial classic style along with rock, Balkan and world music.

Contact Cantor Davidoff:
(561) 392-8566
Cantor.Davidoff@bnai-torah.org

Ehud (Udi) Spielman

Cantor Spielman was born in Tel Aviv, Israel. He is the great grandson of Rabbi Zerach Barnet, who was one of the key founders of Tel Aviv. Both of Udi’s grandfathers were Cantors. Listening to them chant services throughout his childhood profoundly influenced his love for Cantorial music (Hazzanut).

Cantor Spielman is a graduate of Hakafar Hayarok, agricultural high school, in Israel. Upon graduation he went into the Israeli Air Force where he performed with his orchestra. Upon being honorably discharged from the armed services, he established many musical groups in Israel which performed at special occasions including weddings and bar mitzvahs. His musical groups were extremely successful, and as a result of this popularity, the musical groups were invited to play around the world in the Far East, Europe and the United States.

In 2000, Cantor Spielman decided to retire his performing groups in order to study Hazzanut. He enrolled at the Cantorial Institute of Tel Aviv, administered by Cantor Naftali Hershtik, the Chief Cantor of the Great Synagogue in Jerusalem. Cantor Hershtik exposed Udi to the deeper elements of Judaic learning and the art of chanting. Cantor Chaim Feifel and composer Raymond Goldstein added much to Udi’s education as well.

Cantor Spielman believes that it is the seed his grandfathers planted within him which drove him to pursue his education in Hazzanut. After graduating from the Cantorial Institute of Tel Aviv, he enthusiastically embarked on his new found career. Besides his Cantorial services as a Hazzan, Cantor Spielman has also performed in Cantorial concerts with the most highly regarded Hazzanim of our time.

Cantor Spielman performs Hazzanut as he fulfills his dream of perpetuating his grandfathers’ legacy.

Contact Cantor Spielman:
(561) 392-8566, ext. 315
Cantor.Spielman@bnai-torah.org

David Steinhardt

Rabbi David Steinhardt is the Senior Rabbi at B’nai Torah Congregation. He has served the Boca Raton community for almost twenty years in that position and in many other areas.

At B’nai Torah he has lead synagogue growth witnessed by a large membership and a Shabbat attendance that rivals any congregation in the world. He has inspired innovative and meaningful synagogue programming and education.

Rabbi Steinhardt has chaired the Jewish Community Relations Council and the Israel Overseas Committee of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County. At the Jewish Federation, he served on the Executive Board. He is a founder of the Boca Raton Inter‐Faith Clergy Association and currently serves as co-president. He served as one of three communal leaders on the steering committee of the Shemin Trialogue at Florida Atlantic University, an annual event bringing together Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders and scholars. He is currently actively engaged in a Jewish/Muslim dialogue group.

He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Connecticut, where he studied Psychology. Rabbi Steinhardt has a Master’s Degree in Hebrew Literature from The Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, where he was ordained as a rabbi. In May 2010, he also received an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from The Jewish Theological Seminary.

Rabbi Steinhardt has led an effort for Haitian disaster relief through Mazon and the Lambi Fund. He is an instructor in the International Florence Melton Mini School and a Senior Rabbinic Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. Rabbi Steinhardt is a national board member of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs Committee (JCPA). He has served on the Chancellor’s Cabinet of The Jewish Theological Seminary and the advisory board of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.

He has served as president of Boards of Rabbis in both Ohio and Palm Beach County.

Rabbi Steinhardt was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He is married to Dr. Tobi Richman‐Steinhardt, a physician, and they are the parents of five adult children.

Contact Rabbi Steinhardt:
(561) 392-8566, ext. 311
Rabbi.Steinhardt@bnai-torah.org

David Englander

Rabbi David Englander was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1999, where he also received a Master of Arts in Jewish Education and was awarded the Lillian M. Lowenfeld Prize in Practical Theology. While at the Seminary, he taught in the Youth House of Temple Israel in Great Neck New York, served as student rabbi of Congregation Etz Chayim in Huntsville Alabama, and was the rabbinic intern at Town and Village Synagogue in lower Manhattan. He was also senior USY advisor at Temple Beth El of New Rochelle, NY, and worked on the staff of Camp Ramah in the Berkshires for 10 summers as a counselor, division head, and advisor for staff training. Prior to entering the Seminary, Rabbi Englander studied for a year at Yeshivat Hamivtar in Efrat, Israel, and graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor with a B.A. in History. While at Michigan, he served as President of the Conservative Minyan and as vice-chair of IMPAC, the Israel-Michigan Political Action Committee. He taught b’nai mitzvah students through Beth Israel Synagogue, and was an elected representative to the Michigan Student Assembly, serving as chair of its External Relations Committee.

At B’nai Torah, Rabbi Englander conducts Shabbat and holiday services, including the participatory Shabbat morning service known as Havurat Shabbat, and the High Holy Day Family service, now attended by more than a thousand synagogue members. He directs and teaches in the Lillian and Philip Cooperman Academy for Adult Jewish Learning, and is a principal instructor and coordinator for the Basic Judaism and Conversion program. He is active in pastoral care activities and officiates at all lifecycle events. He also teaches in the high school and middle school programs.

Rabbi Englander was presented the Rabbi Simon Greenberg Rabbinic Leadership Award by The Jewish Theological Seminary in December, 2004. He is the immediate past president of the Palm Beach County Board of Rabbis, and chair of the task force on Jewish Education for the Planning and Allocations Committee of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County, where he serves as a trustee. Rabbi Englander serves on the board of Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach and is an active member of the Boca Raton Interfaith Clergy Association. He also sits on the Ethics Committee of Boca Raton Regional Hospital.

Rabbi Englander grew up in Spring Valley, NY. He attended the Prozdor Hebrew High School program of JTS for four years, and is a graduate of the Monsey Jewish Center Hebrew School. He and his wife, Stephanie, are the proud parents of Yaffa, Zev and Ayal.

Contact Rabbi Englander:
(561) 392-8566, ext. 341
Rabbi.Englander@bnai-torah.org